Hall sues former consultant over radio ad
Mayoral candidate says ex-political strategist accuses him of lying to voters in commercial
Houston mayoral candidate Ben Hall has sued his former political consultant over a radio advertisement that accuses him of lying to Houston voters.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday links political strategist Justin Jordan and his company, Patriot Group Strategies Inc., to an ad that aired Sunday on a local Radio One station, Magic 102.1.
“Ben Hall, this message is for you,” the one-minute segment begins. “You can no longer lie to the voters of Houston. You can no longer make up stories about owning a radio station that just aren’t true.”
The commercial goes on to connect Hall to conservative power broker Dr. Steven Hotze, a donor to Hall’s campaign who is helping to bankroll the effort to repeal Houston’s equal rights ordinance.
It also names former KTRK investigative reporter Wayne Dolcefino, one of Hall’s consultants.
“We will not allow you to use Wayne Dolcefino to do your dirty work,” an unnamed male voice says. “You know Wayne Dolcefino has a history of attacking our black leaders. Ben Hall, exactly what does that say about you?”
Hall said in his complaint that the radio spot is untrue and is intended to damage his reputation. He claimed Jordan was behind it.
Dolcefino, for his part, called the commercial “stupid,” but added, “it doesn’t offend me.”
Jordan’s attorney, Oliver Brown, denied the assertions in the lawsuit Hall filed in state district court.
“We deny all of the allegations within the suit in its entirety, but we will point out the fact that, even if some allegations are proven true, that it is protected by the political process,” Brown said. “This is nothing more than an attempt for Ben Hall to bully people that are opposed to him.”
Jordan previously served as Hall’s top political consultant, but the two parted ways in June because of a difference of opinion about how the campaign should be run, Jordan said. He now is running city controller candidate Carroll Robinson’s campaign.
In his complaint, Hall provided documentation for his purchase of the radio station KCOH and denied that he is using “an investigative journalist” to attack another candidate in the mayor’s race. Dolcefino previously spent 27 years as an investigative reporter for KTRK Channel 13.
Citing negative press about one of his rivals, state Rep. Sylvester Turner, Hall said, “all of such matters were being researched by the investigator well before plaintiff ever retained him to assist with his campaign.”
According to Hall’s petition, the Radio One ad was purchased under the name Anthony Starks on behalf of a group called Historians for Truth, though the listed address and phone number were fake.
Radio One Houston General Manager Gary Spurgeon said the commercial aired six times on Sunday. As of Wednesday morning, it was not scheduled for another run.
A purchase order provided by Hall’s campaign also shows Anthony “Tony” Stark attempted to buy air time for a commercial on Hall’s radio station through a different group, Houstonians for Truth. KCOH rejected the ad. “Jordan caused a false FCC-required form to be fraudulently filled out on behalf of a non-entity called Historians for Truth,” Hall’s lawsuit says.
The lawsuit, which seeks compensatory damages of at least $500,000, also alleges wire fraud, money laundering, and election code violations and fraud.
Neither Jordan nor Patriot Group Strategies is listed on any of the other mayoral candidates’ campaign finance reports.